The Study of Correlation between Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Reading Comprehension among Seventh-Grade Indonesian Middle School Students

Laila Nur Fitri

Abstract

In teaching and learning reading, teachers have been using various teaching methods, teaching strategies, and learning approaches, but they do not know which one is suitable for students’ learning. To fill this gap, this study examined the correlation between students’ learning styles and reading comprehension in seventh-grade middle school students in Indonesia. This study used correlation methods to find the correlation between the two variables. The data on students’ learning styles were collected through a document from the school which had been collected and analyzed by the Psychology Services Bureau in Indonesia. The data on students’ reading comprehension were collected through a reading test based on reading competency standards by Depdiknas (2007). The researcher used a simple correlation analysis by Pearson’s product moment in Microsoft Excel to find the correlation between learning styles and reading comprehension. The finding revealed a positive but low to moderate correlation between learning styles and students’ reading comprehension with an r-value 0.2056 (0 to 0.3). Although the correlation is low, learning style still has a role in determining students’ reading comprehension. Knowing that learning styles correlate with reading comprehension, this study suggests teachers and education providers be aware of learning styles and include analysis of students' learning styles in designing activities of teaching and learning reading that may be beneficial to help students develop reading comprehension.

Keywords

Correlation study; Pearson’s product moment; seventh-grade; reading comprehension; learning styles

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/ee.v12i2.79334

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